Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard have made a colossal mistake by throwing their weight behind Holtec International’s £1.5 billion Small Modular Reactor (SMR) factory at GatewayEast, Doncaster, despite Rolls-Royce SMR’s triumph as the preferred bidder in the Great British Nuclear (GBN) SMR competition on June 10, 2025 [Ref 1]. Their short-sighted policy, favoring Holtec over British icon Rolls-Royce and ignoring the urgent energy needs of AI data centres, risks derailing South Yorkshire’s industrial revival. With Sizewell C delayed until at least 2034 [Ref 2], Labour’s misstep threatens jobs, energy security, and Doncaster’s pride. Reform UK stands tall, championing Rolls-Royce for rapid SMR deployment and urging Holtec’s SMR-300 be redirected to power AI. Here’s why Jones and Coppard’s Holtec obsession is a disaster—and how Reform’s vision puts Britain first! 💪
🔥 Labour’s Short-Sighted Holtec Fiasco: A Betrayal of DoncasterJones and Coppard’s cheerleading for Holtec, now faltering after Rolls-Royce’s GBN win, is a masterclass in missing the mark. Their failure to back British innovation and leverage Holtec for AI energy needs is a slap in the face to South Yorkshire’s workers. Here’s how they blew it:🇬🇧 Snubbing British Brilliance: Rolls-Royce, a Derby-based legend powering UK nuclear submarines, is the heart of British engineering. Yet, Jones called Holtec’s factory “fantastic news,” and Coppard hailed it as a clean-tech coup [Ref 3, Ref 4]. Backing Holtec over a UK icon dismisses Doncaster’s hunger for a British-led revival, critical for the UK’s 24 GWe nuclear target by 2050 [Ref 5].⏰ Backing a Slowpoke: Rolls-Royce’s SMR, in Step 3 of the UK Generic Design Assessment (GDA), is 18 months ahead of Holtec’s Step 2 SMR-300, poised for early-2030s operation [Ref 6, Ref 1]. Labour’s Holtec fixation ignores Sizewell C’s 2034 delay, risking Doncaster’s role in the nuclear race [Ref 2, Ref 7].⚡ Ignoring AI’s Energy Surge: Holtec’s 300 MWe SMR-300, with air-cooling and passive safety, is perfect for powering AI data centres, set to drive massive UK energy demand by 2030 [Ref 8]. Labour’s failure to pivot Holtec’s now-scaled-back factory for AI, instead of chasing a doomed industrial hub, wastes a golden opportunity [Ref 7, Ref 9].🏭 Overlooking Sheffield’s Strength: Rolls-Royce’s £2.7 million Sheffield facility, tied to the University of Sheffield’s AMRC, is already delivering jobs and UK supply chain benefits [Ref 10]. Holtec’s factory, with foreign partners like Hyundai, risks local economic leakage, especially post-downsizing [Ref 3, Ref 7].🗳️ Alienating Doncaster’s Heart: South Yorkshire’s workers, scarred by deindustrialization, crave British jobs. Labour’s Holtec love and Coppard’s “disappointment” at its setback clash with voter pride in UK manufacturing [Ref 7]. Reform’s 2024 South Yorkshire surge shows this frustration [Ref 11].
💡 Reform UK’s Bold Fix:
Rolls-Royce for Power, Holtec for AIReform UK stands with Rolls-Royce to lead South Yorkshire’s SMR revolution, leveraging its GBN victory and early-2030s timeline to outpace Sizewell C. We also demand Holtec’s SMR-300 be redirected to power AI data centres, seizing a critical energy opportunity. Our plan:🇬🇧 Rolls-Royce for British Glory: Reform’s 2024 manifesto backs UK businesses [Ref 12]. Rolls-Royce’s 70% UK supply chain and Sheffield hub make it Doncaster’s champion, delivering thousands of jobs via its £2.5 billion GBN deal [Ref 1, Ref 10].🤖 Holtec for AI Energy: Holtec’s air-cooled SMR-300 is ideal for AI data centres’ distributed power needs [Ref 8, Ref 9]. Reform urges redeploying Holtec’s expertise to AI, complementing Rolls-Royce’s grid-scale SMRs.🌍 UK as SMR Leader: Rolls-Royce’s SMR, with Czech partnerships, makes Britain a global SMR powerhouse [Ref 13]. Reform’s “science superpower” vision backs Rolls-Royce, with Holtec’s AI role boosting UK innovation [Ref 9].⚡ Energy for the Future: Reform’s energy independence push supports Rolls-Royce’s 470 MWe SMRs, powering 3 million homes by the early 2030s, ahead of Sizewell C [Ref 1, Ref 2]. Holtec’s AI-focused SMRs would fuel data-driven growth [Ref 8].🏠 Doncaster First: Reform’s “levelling up” mission aligns with Rolls-Royce’s Sheffield jobs and Holtec’s AI potential, ensuring sustainable growth [Ref 10]. Labour’s Holtec factory dream is collapsing [Ref 7].
📢 Reform’s Battle Cry: Doncaster Deserves Better!The GBN’s Rolls-Royce win lays bare Labour’s short-sighted Holtec blunder. Jones and Coppard’s failure to champion British innovation and pivot Holtec for AI data centres threatens Doncaster’s jobs, energy, and pride. With Sizewell C stuck in the slow lane, Rolls-Royce’s early-2030s timeline is critical, and Holtec’s SMR-300 could power AI’s future. Reform UK demands the mayors back Rolls-Royce and redirect Holtec to AI, putting South Yorkshire first. Labour’s error fuels Reform’s fight for British workers. Join us—back Rolls-Royce, power AI, make Doncaster shine! 🇬🇧
References:
Rolls-Royce SMR selected as preferred bidder, GOV.UK, June 10, 2025.
Sizewell C delayed until at least 2034, World Nuclear News, May 22, 2024.
Holtec scales back Doncaster factory, Doncaster Free Press, June 10, 2025.
Holtec selects Doncaster’s GatewayEast, Nuclear Industry Association, June 3, 2025.
Great British Nuclear, UK nuclear capacity target, 2023.
UK Office for Nuclear Regulation, GDA status updates, 2024.US nuclear firm to open reactor factory in South Yorkshire, BBC News, September 20, 2024.
AI data centres to drive UK energy demand, Energy Live News, March 15, 2024.
Rolls-Royce SMR and Holtec SMR-300 specifications, 2024.
Rolls-Royce SMR facility at University of Sheffield, May 20, 2024.
UK Electoral Commission, South Yorkshire election results, 2024.
Reform Party Manifesto, 2024.
Rolls-Royce SMR partnerships, Čez Group, 2024.
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